March 18, 2021

A new Sanford Health clinic and Lewis Family Drug will officially start construction today in Harrisburg.

The shared 20,000-square-foot building will be on the northwest corner of Cliff Avenue and Willow Street.

Rendering by TSP

The project was announced a year ago, and the concept is largely the same as planned, including 26 clinical exam rooms, with family medicine, pediatrics and women’s services. There also will be a lab, radiology, ultrasound and 3D mammography offered.

Sanford has owned the property for about five years, which has enough room to expand.

“That property was purchased and very appealing to us for that expansion opportunity especially as Harrisburg grows,” said Paul Hanson, CEO of Sanford’s Sioux Falls region.

The clinic will be similar to the one Sanford has in the area of 32nd Street and Ellis Road in Sioux Falls, said Andy Munce, vice president of operations.

“Really holistic care for families, and that’s been successful, so that’s what we’re talking about in Harrisburg,” he said.

Sanford and Harrisburg have grown relationships through the school district and athletics, including working with high school students to introduce them to career opportunities in health care.

“So it’s a natural fit, based on how Harrisburg is growing as a community, for us to further expand our relationship with that community,” Munce said.

Lewis Family Drug will occupy 4,000 square feet of the building.

“We plan on making it a full-blown Lewis Family Drug, obviously pharmacy is prominent and working well with Sanford, and we’re going to have some other drugstore-related items in the store,” CEO Mark Griffin said.

“We’re excited to grow out to Harrisburg and help support the community and support the community as a corporate entity.”

It will mark store No. 59 for Lewis.

“Harrisburg is a very progressive community, and it’s one we’ve been looking at for years, and timing is everything,” Griffin added. “We feel the time is right, and with our health care partners at Sanford, it’s more than right.”

Lewis and Sanford plan to open at roughly the same time in late 2022.

The building is designed by TSP and will be built by Fiegen Construction.

“Maximizing the efficiency of the design to get the most clinical space for every construction dollar was one of the team’s top priorities,” said Lucas Lorenzen, a structural engineer who serves as the project team’s point of contact at TSP Inc.

“Ample daylight was provided in all public areas and most staff areas to provide a comfortable space where important care decisions are being made. Considering how patients and staff utilize the clinic and pharmacy today informed the design, but we also needed to provide the ability for the clinic to flow effectively with any future addition. That required an innovative approach from TSP’s interdisciplinary design team.”

Lorenzen, a Harrisburg resident, said he knew it was crucial for the new clinic to align with the community’s own plans. He represents TSP at the Harrisburg Chamber of Commerce and serves on the Economic Development Corporation’s board of directors.

“We focused on master planning in the early design phases to create a vision that provides future growth opportunities for the site both aesthetically and functionally,” he said. “Anticipating future growth of the clinic was important for all parties because we know Harrisburg’s long-term needs also are certain to continue growing. Being efficient with space allowed us to provide open areas and green space along the creek. We incorporated the new bike path and the future intersection upgrade too.”